- Pinterest651
- Subscribe
- Total651
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala - absolutely tender juicy seared chicken cutlets smothered in a marsala wine, mushroom and cream based sauce. It's not much different than this Instant Pot Pork Chop Marsala. This easy pressure cooker restaurant quality chicken marsala also get's done under 30 mins!
Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
Instant Pot Chicken Marsala is a fantastic quick and easy restaurant quality chicken dinner so appropriate for weekdays and also when you have guests around. This Pressure cooker chicken Marsala has the best sauce ever. So creamy and so yummy!
Tips & Tricks
- Chicken: Thin chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) that are no more than ¼ inch thick works best for the recipe.
- Pound the chicken: Lightly pounding the chicken breasts with a meat mallet will help tenderize them by breaking down the connective tissues. The chicken breasts will not curl up while searing. Pounding also helps the meat cook evenly and faster.
- Dredge & sear chicken: This will almost instantly elevate the flavor of the dish! It'll also help keep the chicken extremely moist & tender.
- Marsala Wine: Use a good quality dry marsala wine. This is a key ingredient and creates an amazing caramelized rich flavor. If you do not have marsala wine you can use either sherry, any good quality dry white wine, port or red vermouth. Avoid red wine.
- Non-alcoholic Chicken Marsala: If you do not prefer alcohol in food than by all means skip the wine & replace it with equal parts of chicken stock.
- How to thicken the marsala sauce: Cornstarch acts as a fantastic thickener. Mix it with the cream & than add it to the marsala sauce. Simmer to thicken.
- Gluten free chicken marsala: Avoid dredging the chicken cutlets in flour, season the chicken and than sear it. The rest of the recipe would remain the same.
Ingredients
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts that are not more than ¼ inch thick.
- Mushrooms: You can use baby bella, white mushrooms or Cremini mushrooms. We chose baby bella.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion or shallots & garlic. For best results use shallots. We ran out & hence, used yellow onion.
- All-purpose flour: For dredging the chicken cutlets.
- Seasonings: Paprika, oregano, ground black pepper.
- Marsala wine: If can't find it in the store use sherry or any good quality white wine (that you would love to drink).
- Chicken stock: We love using Better Than Bouillon paste diluted in warm or hot water. This is crazy good stuff and makes the most amazing and flavorful stock ever!
- Heavy whipping cream: Adds a lovely creamy touch to the traditional Marsala sauce. If you are looking for an authentic & traditional chicken marsala recipe than skip using the cream.
- Cornstarch: It'll thicken the marsala sauce.
- Butter.
- Olive oil.
Should you use sweet or dry Marsala for Chicken Marsala?
Dry Marsala wine works best for Chicken Marsala. Use sweet Marsala wine for desserts.
What can I use in place of Marsala?
You can replace the Marsala wine with the following:
- Sherry (dark).
- Red Vermouth.
- Good quality dry White wine. Use the wine that you would love to drink!
- Port.
How to make Instant Pot creamy Chicken Marsala?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step#1 Dredge & sear chicken cutlets
- Pound Chicken: Lightly pound the boneless skinless chicken breasts. This will help prevent them from curling up while searing and will also keep the meat moist & juicy.
- Season: Season the pounded chicken cutlets with crushed black pepper, salt & a pinch of paprika.
- Dredge: Dredge the chicken cutlets with all-purpose flour. Make sure the cutlets get a uniform flour coating on both sides.
- Sear: Set the Instant Pot on saute & keep it on HIGH heat. Add butter & olive oil and sear the dredged chicken cutlets until golden. Set them aside.
Step #2 De-glaze Pot
- Saute aromatics: In the same pot saute the onion or shallots & garlic until they turn limp. Add salt to quick the process.
- De-glaze Pot: Now, add the marsala wine and de-glaze the pot very well by scrapping the sides & the bottom of the pot with a spatula. This will help loosen the any stuck food particles & prevent the BURN error. Add chicken stock and stir to mix. CANCEL saute function.
Step #3 Pressure cook chicken cutlets
- Layer mushroom, chicken: Add sliced mushrooms, DO NOT stir. Layer the seared chicken cutlets on top of the bed of mushrooms. DO NOT stir or mix.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 mins followed by 5 mins natural pressure release and than release the rest of the pressure manually by turning the valve from the sealing to the venting position.
Step #5 Prepare creamy marsala sauce
- Fish out chicken: Open the lid and carefully fish out the pressure cooked chicken cutlets with the help of tong and set them aside. Hit back the SAUTE function and set it on LOW heat.
- Prepare creamy marsala sauce: Warm up the fridge cold heavy whipping creamy slightly in microwave oven. Add cornstarch into the cream & mix well. Than, add this to the instant pot. Stir to mix. Simmer to thicken the marsala sauce to your desired consistency. Check for seasoning, add more salt if you feel like (up to you!).
- Serve: Transfer back the chicken cutlets into the pot. Smother them with the sauce. Allow them to rest for 1-2 mins to soak up the flavors. Than serve hot. Enjoy!
Note: If you prefer a really thick sauce than add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water) to thicken the sauce further while simmering the sauce. We didn't add any!
What is Chicken Marsala served with?
Chicken Marsala is served with:
- Brown Rice.
- Buttered Noodles.
- mashed Potato.
- A side of steamed broccoli.
- A side of steamed carrots.
- A side of steamed green beans.
- Sautéed green peas.
Storing Tips
You can store Instant Pot Chicken Marsala for up to 4 days in the fridge in air tight container. The marsala sauce will thicken further. Follow the re-heating tips shared below.
How to re-heat Chicken Marsala?
You can re-heat chicken marsala in the microwave oven until warm. The marsala sauce get's absorbed by the chicken a lot when stored in the fridge, you add some more stock to thin out the sauce before re-heating the dish.
You can also re-heat chicken marsala in a shallow non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add some stock and than add the fridge cold chicken marsala. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Serve immediately!
Can Chicken Marsala be frozen?
Yes you can freeze chicken marsala for upto 2 months. Store the pressure cooked chicken cutlets and the sauce separately in different containers. Thaw them over night in the fridge and than re-heat following the above directions.
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala
Print Recipe Pin RateWatch Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breast (**boneless, skinless, lightly pounded thin breasts about ¼ inch thick.)
- 8 ounce Mushrooms (**Baby Bella sliced. 1 mushroom = 3 slices.)
- ¼ cup onion (**yellow onion or shallots. Finely chopped.)
- 1 tbsp garlic (**minced)
- ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Marsala Wine
- ½ cup chicken stock (**we used 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon diluted in ½ cup warm or hot water.)
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream (**slightly warmed in microwave oven.)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt (**according to your taste preference.)
Seasonings
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp oregano
Thickener
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (**diluted with 1 tbsp water to form a slurry.)
Equipment Used
Instructions
- Pound chicken: Lightly pound the chicken breasts. This will help prevent the chicken from curling while sautéing and also keep the meat extremely tender & juicy.
- Season & Dredge Chicken: Season the chicken breasts with sprinkles of paprika, crushed black pepper & salt both sides. Rub them well. Than, dredge the chicken breasts with flour on all sides. Lightly dust off the excess flour & place them on a plate.
- Sear dredged Chicken: Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE function & set it on HIGH heat. Add oil & butter, allow them to become hot. Than, gently release the dredged chicken cutlets & sear them until golden on both sides. Set the seared cutlets aside.
- Saute aromatics: There'll be lots of brown bits stuck at the bottom of the pot, do not worry, we'll be de-glaze the pot very well. Now, in the same pot add onion or shallots & garlic & saute until they turn soft. Add salt to quicken the process.
- De-glaze pot: Pour Marsala wine and de-glaze the pot very well scrapping the sides & the bottom of the pot with spatula. There should not be any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the burn and also help cook off the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and stir to mix well. CANCEL the SAUTE function.
- Pressure cook: Now, add the sliced mushrooms, spread them gently to form a single layer. DO NOT stir or mix. Place the chicken cutlets on the bed of mushrooms. DO NOT stir or mix. Secure the lid, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 4 mins. Once the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Wait for 5 mins natural pressure release & than release the rest of the pressure manually by moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully.
- Prepare creamy Marsala sauce: Fish out the cooked chicken cutlets & set them aside. Slightly warm up the heavy cream in the microwave oven, add the cornstarch & stir to mix well. Now, add it to the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Mix well. Hit the SAUTE function & set it on LOW heat. Simmer the sauce stirring frequently until it thickens to your desired consistency. It should be pourable.
- Serve creamy Chicken Marsala: Turn off the instant pot & transfer back the cooked chicken cutlets into the pot. Smother them with the Marsala sauce and allow them to rest for 5 mins in the sauce. This will help them soak up the amazing creamy flavor! Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Sauce consistency: The ideal marsala sauce consistency should be pourable but not thin or very thick. We added cornstarch as a gluten free thickener.
- Marsala Sauce subs: Good quality dry white wine, port wine, sherry (dark), red vermouth.
- For alcohol free marsala sauce: Sub the wine with equal amount chicken stock. The chicken marsala won't have a great depth of flavor, however, it'll still be tasty.
- Lighten up the Marsala Sauce: Sub the heavy whipping cream with evaporated milk or half and half. Do not bring the sauce to a rolling boil after adding the half & half, it may curdle.
- Gluten free chicken marsala: Skip dredging the chicken cutlets with flour. Just season them and sear the cutlets.
- Can I make chicken thighs Marsala? Yes you can. Replace the chicken breasts with chicken thighs. The recipe would remain the same. However, I would cook the seared thighs for 5 mins on high pressure followed by 5 mins natural pressure release and than releasing the rest of the pressure manually.
Do let us know if you created this recipe